Finally, after 20 years of waiting, The Taylor Maddox Band has finally released their long-awaited follow-up to the classic “Don’t Steal My Money”, an ambitious EP titled “Wicker Man Blues”.
“We had a really good time in the studio”, says keyboardist Michael Grant. “We were nervous at first, because we had no idea how it would turn out. I’m proud to say that it turned out to be fantastic.”
This guitar-fueled extravaganza features seven exhilarating songs that keep you on the edge of your seat. The first track, “Revol Ym Ton Si Naej Eillib”, is an epic Kashmir-esque progressive rock song written by lead guitarist Kelvin Grant, featuring Mike Portnoy on drums. It ends with a mesmerizing 2 minute guitar solo that will make you wonder why there is war and poverty.
The next song on the album, “Audioslave Sucks” was “a really hard song to make”, Taylor Maddox explains. “We did some weird voodoo crap and brought pre-sellout Chris Cornell back from the dead, with the long hair and stuff. It was some crazy crap!” The song features Chris Cornell on lead vocals. The lyrics tell a provocative story of alienation and political intrigue. The outro features a screeching falsetto by Chris Cornell that is “equal to 29 orgasms”. Chris then listened to future Chris’ album “Carry On”. He tragically died of brain cancer.
The third track is a superb cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. The fourth song is The Taylor Maddox Band’s take on death metal, titled “Triplets Are For Heavy Metal Wannabes”. Ironically, the song has a bunch of triplets. How original. Definitely one of The Taylor Maddox Band’s more forgettable tunes.
The fifth song on the album is a groovy cover of Deep Purple’s famous song “Highway Star”. It features an extended guitar solo by Jake Adjutant of Runtime Error fame. The next song is “This Song Is Going To Get Me Laid”, a radio-friendly tune which is also the first single released from the album for radio play. It’s currently at #39 on the modern rock charts, but it *may* be able to get up there.
The final song on the album, “Wicker Man Blues”, is a bluesy guitar-heavy track with pounding drum beats and soaring vocals. The haunting lyrics tell a first-person perspective of a man who is being burned alive. The song has been praised by critics worldwide.
Overall, this highly-anticipated EP is a brilliant collection of songs and probably the best album of the year. It will make a fine addition to our Taylor Maddox Band collections.
All songs written by Taylor Maddox unless stated otherwise.
01. “Revol Ym Ton Si Naej Eillib" (Kelvin Grant, Portnoy) 8:32
02. “Audioslave Sucks” (Maddox, Cornell) 5:00
03. “Superstition” (Wonder, Maddox) 4:26
04. “Triplets Are For Heavy Metal Wannabes” 2:28
05. “Highway Star” (Gillan, Maddox, Adjutant) 7:04
06. “This Song is Going to Get Me Laid” 3:30
07. “Wicker Man Blues” 6:52